Izaya loves Celty's head
by izacelty
Summary: Shinra said he only wanted the body anyway (only tagged as drama cuz this situation is actually super creepy and kinda melodramatic)
1. Chapter 1

_**You know how old fanfiction would be like "i dont own the thing dont sue me" I hope narita sues me he has every right to**_

 _ **also why does it take so long to set up one of these accounts im writing celty's head/izaya fanfiction not revealing government secrets**_

 _ **words in bold are people texting and italicized phrases are things izaya hears in his head**_

* * *

 **Kanra: I'm willing to triple my last offer for something as small as a kitchen knife! A switchblade would be enough!**

 **Kasane: For the last time Mr. Orihara I have no interest in doing any form of business with you, good day**

Before he could even finish typing his response, he received the notification that his number had been blocked…again. This was the third phone number of his that she had blocked, he worked for days creating fake profiles for those numbers only to be discovered after only a few texts. He wasn't sure how she knew it was him but somehow she knew and she made it painfully clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. The first time he approached her he hadn't even used a fake name, he had met her face to face as he was, his true self exposed, for the sole purpose of convincing her to sell him a sword. Before he could even offer her a sum of money she shot him down coldly, her exact words still ringing in his ear.

" _Mr. Orihara I'm afraid I cannot sell you one of my swords, to be blunt, selling you one of my blades would be the most catastrophic thing I could ever do, a mistake that would haunt me for eons to come. I know well what a person like you would do with Saika and frankly I do not want to be responsible for anything that could happen in this city that would result from you having hold of Saika."_

Her words hurt, mostly because he hadn't even told her what he planned to use Saika for. She had him all wrong, he was sure of it, he only intended to use Saika once after that he'd gladly give it back to her. Besides his reasons were noble and selfless to an extent, he wasn't doing it just for his benefit it would be beneficial to one of his childhood friend's as well. Was there anything more noble and selfless than helping out a friend in need?

* * *

"My father's going to Ireland next week, want to come with us?" Izaya looked up from his magazine to see the face of his only friend Shinra looking down at him with a big smile on his face.

"Why on earth would your dad want two teenagers hanging around him while he's supposed to be working?" Izaya replied closing the occult magazine and setting it aside next to his eaten lunch. It had become routine for them to go up and eat on the school rooftop, they sat isolated from the other students. During this time Izaya would indulge in his random interest of the week while Shinra went on and on about this girl he liked, a girl he had liked for years now.

For as long as Izaya had known him, most likely even longer, Shinra had been in love with one girl and this girl consumed every one of his thoughts. Izaya himself would sometimes get curious and ask questions about her but Shinra knew absolutely nothing about her, he didn't even know her name. Shinra spent a lot of time talking about things she'd probably like rather than things he knew she liked.

"He always takes me on these trips with him, usually he even lets me help, but he says this is a more 'private' mission or something and he doesn't want me getting in the way." The look on Shinra's face almost made him appear betrayed or upset, almost.

"Why doesn't he just leave you at home? My parents do that all time with me and the twins."

"Yeah well, I don't have anyone to look after me, rather than leave his precious only son alone he's offering to let me bring along a friend so I don't get in the way. Your parents won't mind, right?"

"They probably won't but why invite me? Isn't there anyone else you'd rather take? How about that one girl you're always talking about, seems like a perfect chance for you to get to know her." Izaya took his occult magazine and opened it up again, he was becoming rather bored with this conversation.

"That's just the thing Izaya," Shinra said snatching the magazine out of his hands "the woman I love lives in Ireland! And besides…" he began scanning through the pages of the magazine "I feel like, with this new-found interest of yours, you'll be very interested in meeting her." Shinra offered Izaya the magazine back with a smile, a smile Izaya felt was supposed to reassure him but instead filled him with a strange sense of foreboding.

He agreed to the trip, it would only be for three days and his parents showed no interest for or against it. Izaya didn't believe in love at first sight but seeing how utterly devoted Shinra was despite not even knowing the girl's name was making him question that belief. Even if it wasn't love at first sight this girl needed to be an interesting individual to have captured Shinra's heart so fully and without a single exchange of words between them. Was this love or was this nothing more than a young boy going through puberty and not having control of his hormones? Izaya hoped this trip would answer those question.

Shingen had been particularly pleased, going on about how happy he was that his son managed to make a friend despite his eccentric personality while on the boat ride there. Izaya always considered Shingen to be an interest character considering he was to blame for Shinra's "eccentric personality" and yet the man acted as though he had nothing to do with it.

Before he could even unlock the door to their hotel room Shingen received a message, no doubt from his employer, and immediately ran off, suitcase and all, leaving behind the two unsupervised middle schoolers. Shinra didn't even flinch and quickly took out the room key he most likely stole knowing this would happen. Izaya expected to get some sleep seeing they had landed in the country rather late at night, he thought it was rather strange that Shingen was being rushed into work so late but didn't dwell on it. He barely managed to place his suitcase on one of the beds before Shinra began urging him to go outside with him and start looking for this supposed love of his life.

"It's late Shinra I doubt this girl is going to be out and about wondering through the town at this hour."

"No that's the thing, I know for a fact she can only come out at night."

Once again Izaya's curiosity got the better of him, after getting a coat out of his suitcase he followed Shinra out into the hallway.

"Oh wait! I almost forgot something." Shinra ran back into the room and quickly took something out of his own suitcase, making a mess of his clothes as he did so. He came back out into the hallway holding a small camera in his hands "I plan on taking a piece of her with me this time."

They wandered around the town for about thirty minutes before finding the spot that Shinra supposedly saw this mystery girl years before. It was a small spot between some bushes and a large tree, out of sight from the neighboring town and the villagers who inhabited it. A full moon hung is the sky, it's soft light making the small patch of land appear like something straight out of an Irish fairy tale. Izaya seriously doubted that she would return to this place, if this even was the right place seeing that Shinra was going off memories from when he was ten years old.

Shinra insisted on the two of them hiding in one of the bushes as they waited, saying that she'd run off if she saw them in her resting spot. Izaya obliged seeing that he had come this far, there was no point in arguing with him now. Shinra fiddled around with the camera as they waited, preparing himself to take the perfect picture. They waited for over an hour and she still hadn't come, after all she didn't know Shinra was here waiting for her, the way Izaya saw it she had no reason for coming.

Just as he was preparing to ditch Shinra Izaya saw it, or rather he saw her. A tall, cloaked figure with something tucked into her elbow emerged from the bushes followed by…a horse…a headless horse. That should have been his first indication to run but for some reason Izaya couldn't run and he couldn't look away either. The figure motioned for her steed to lay down on the grass as she took off her hood revealing that she herself was also headless, a small puff of smoke coming from her neck where her head should have been. Her cloak parted slightly and Izaya could make out the details of the old-fashioned dress she wore underneath. The headless woman laid down against the tree alongside her horse and for the first time Izaya was able to get a good look at the thing she had been carrying.

The pale moonlight revealed to him a head, porcelain skin and teal eyes framed by short auburn locks, placed gently on her lap. She let out a small sigh as she began to gently pet the horse's back, the two of them sharing a relaxing quiet moment among the foliage that surrounded them. Perhaps this was their own personal routine.

"Isn't the moon beautiful tonight?" Her voice was haunting and yet melodic and lovely at the same time. Izaya was completely entranced, unable to tear his eyes away from the severed head on the woman's lap. He knew she must have been talking to her horse but for someone reason he decided that those words were for him and him alone. _It is._

She was beautiful, he understood why Shinra was so captivated with her, she was unlike anyone he had ever seen before. He was so spellbound he hadn't noticed Shinra lining up the camera. The flash was bright, it needed to be at this time of night the moon could only do so much, just as quickly as he took the picture Shinra grabbed hold of Izaya's hand and ran off. As they ran they could hear the loud neigh of the headless horse followed by its loud gallops as it fled the area.

Neither of them said a word until they made it back to the hotel, Shinra breaking the silence with his of excitement. Shinra dance around the room overcome with emotion, he wanted nothing more than to get the picture developed right then and there. Izaya could do no more than listen as he laid in his bed still completely spellbound by what he has just witnessed. He had never related to Shinra more than in those moments. That night he dreamed of the her, in his mind he could hear her words as they escaped from her pale lips. _Isn't the moon beautiful tonight?_

The trip ended sooner than the two boys expected, something about Shingen's employer receiving wrong information or something, but neither of them really cared. The first thing Shinra did once they were back in Ikebukuro was get his picture developed, a picture he proudly presented to Izaya the next day at school. They two boys sat together on the rooftop as they both stared at the little picture Shinra now called his prized possession. The picture didn't have much color seeing that it was taken at night but Izaya could still make out the slightest bit of green from her eyes. The lack of color made her skin appear more like fine porcelain, her calm expression mimicking that which you would see on a doll. Her steed was mostly out of frame, her body took up most of the picture while her head graced a small portion of the lower half.

"Can I have a copy of this?" The words escaped Izaya's mouth before he realized what he had just asked for. Was he actually asking Shinra for a copy of a picture of the woman he loved, probably the only picture of her in existence, what was he thinking?

"I'll do you one better." Shinra replied and what he did next left Izaya completely dumbfounded. He took the picture, his prized possession, and ripped it cleanly in half. He handed Izaya the ripped picture with a warm smile on his face, not a single regret in his eyes.

Izaya looked down at the image in his hand, he was greeted to the image of the head as it laid peacefully on the woman's lap. A soft smile graced her lips.

"Thanks."

* * *

 **Shinra: I got it!**

 **Izaya: You got what?**

 **Shinra: The sword, the one you said we needed**

 **Shinra: well I don't have it now but I will soon**

 **Izaya: What! How?**

 **Shinra: I talked to that woman**

 **Shinra: Kasane? Yeah she agreed to give me it if I met up with her on Saturday for some coffee**

Izaya almost threw his phone out of anger at what he had just read, Kasane Kujiragi had agreed to give Shinra one of her precious swords in exchange for a coffee date? It was preposterous! Shinra wasn't the one who spent years researching Irish mythology, Shinra wasn't the one who had meeting with people like Seitarou Yagiri, and Shinra definitely wasn't the one who had researched the cursed blade to begin with. What right did he have to be the one to obtain Saika?

Izaya was overcome with resentment, after agreeing with Shinra on his little plan he immediately went to work on finding a way to obtain Saika. He had learned from one of his more unpleasant talks with Seitarou Yagiri that the legendary sword might hold the power to separate the head from her body. Izaya had gone as far as employing Seitarou's niece in the hopes of learning more without setting off suspicions in the older man. Namie was of little help, briefly mentioning her uncle's odd fixation with the Irish fairy here and there, a fixation that plagued her childhood and supposedly affected her younger brother as well. Izaya couldn't help but laugh at the thought that he wasn't the only one who had a strange interest in the fairy's head. It honestly wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all.

Saturday morning came and Izaya had begun tailing Shinra the moment he exited his apartment building. He followed him inside the small café and sat far enough to not be noticed but close enough to hopefully hear his conversation with Kasane. Izaya wore a dark hoodie in the hopes of obscuring his face, not wanting Shinra or Kasane to recognize him, if Kasane knew Izaya and Shinra were working together she'd never hand over the sword. He had the feeling Shinra knew it was him but he honestly didn't care.

The sound of high heels hitting the floor told Izaya Kasane had entered the café, he looked up slightly to see a small briefcase in her hand that most likely held the legendary blade. Izaya had to suppress his laugh when he saw what she was wearing, instead of the yellow business suit she wore when she met him she wore a much more casual black dress. From where he stood it did almost look like a young couple going out on date, he wanted to laugh, it just wasn't fair.

" it's nice to finally meet you. I must say you look lovely." Shinra said as the young woman took her seat.

"Just Kasane is fine." Despite what she was asking of him her face showed no change in emotion.

"Okay Kasane then you can call me Shinra."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that , as my customer I must act completely professional"

"Oh...okay." Shinra began flipping through the menu in front of him "I'm sorry I'm afraid I've never been here before I'm not really sure what to order."

"It's fine, take your time." Kasane reassured him, the atmosphere completely different from when she had met up with Izaya. She might not have been acting like it but it was pretty clear she saw this as being a date.

About an hour had past but it felt more like an eternity, Izaya was bored beyond belief, this actually was no more than a date. Their conversation consisted of nothing more than just talking about their jobs and how good the coffee was. This café wasn't even a good place to watch people either seeing that there were only two other couples who were also just talking about their days. His attempts at disturbing them weren't going great either, on more than one occasion he had bumped into a waitress causing her to spill iced coffee on Kasane's dress. The waitress would apologize and would offer her a discount but Kasane never took it, she would just start cleaning herself up completely unbothered by the action. He'd even gone as far as to order twelve small cakes in Shinra's name but honestly that might have improved the date if anything. Every now and then Izaya would check his phone only to see that nothing was happening online either. Just as he was about to die of boredom he saw Kasane grab the suitcase from off the floor and place it on the table.

"As you know I agreed to give you one of my swords in exchange for an evening with you but there's actually something else I want now"

" I'm flattered but I'm really not that kind of guy, it's only the first date after all!" Shinra laughed, his poor attempt at humor flying right over the woman's head. "Um...never mind, what exactly did you have in mind?"

"I want to know why, what reason could someone like you have for reaching out to me to buy one of my swords? Why do you need it? You must understand you are completely different from my usual customers." Her face continued to show no emotion but her voice displayed her genuine curiosity.

Izaya almost wanted to barge out of the café in frustration, she hadn't even given him the chance to explain himself while his reason for wanting the sword were exactly the same as Shinra's. What made Shinra so special?

"Why? Oh that's easy! It's love!"

In a way that was what make Shinra special, he called it love. Izaya was somewhat hesitant to call it love. This was different from what he felt towards humanity so he didn't really believe it was love. Shinra on the other hand never faltered to call it love, going as far as to call this whole thing a "mission of love" when he first told Izaya about it.

"Love? Are you planning on using Saika to force someone to love you?" There was a bit of concern in her voice, as though she did not approve of his motives and was considering calling off the deal.

"No that's not it, you see I've fallen in love with someone but if I want to be with her I need Saika. Sorry if I'm being vague it's just that-"

" if you do not intend to use Saika to force someone to love you is it possible that your beloved is not human"

"No, she's not, looks like you have me all figured out, you really are quite the woman." He let out a small laugh but he didn't seem to regret telling her the truth.

"I think I've heard enough" she pushed the suitcase over him "it's yours now, use it as you see fit."

"Thank you!" Shinra exclaimed, completely overjoyed. He was just about to open the suitcase when Kasane suddenly stopped him.

"Be warned , this blade is quite powerful. I do not doubt it will serve your purpose but if you allow yourself to be overcome the consequences could be disastrous. Be careful when you use it and avoid holding it for long periods of time. It will try to speak to you, it is imperative you do not listen. Usually I would not inform my clients of this but I consider you are a special case"

"I'm special? Really? Why?"

"I'm afraid I've fallen in love with you"

* * *

 ** _splitting this into 2 chapters cuz it was real long_**

 ** _i cant believe i wrote 12 pages of shinra and izaya try to get a gf in the creepiest way possible_**

 ** _for the real fanfic experience chapter to will be posted never lol jk_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_lol who needs linear story telling not me this is durarara after all_**

 _ **honestly this is the creepiest thing ive ever written**_

 _ **and ive written shizaya before lol**_

 _ **fun fact i wrote most of this while listening to the corpse bride soundtrack**_

* * *

"Shinra as nice as a vacation trip to Ireland with you sounds I'm afraid I'm very busy but maybe you can take Shizuo with you instead." Shinra had a bad habit of dropping by unannounced when Izaya was at his busiest and this was no exception.

"You know why I can't go with Shizuo, it has to be you." Shinra said fiddling around with the cup of coffee Izaya had offered him "I just want to see her again, maybe I could even talk to her this time, maybe this time she'll tell me her name!"

"If you're dying to go so badly why not just go by yourself? Clear up your schedule and go, you can afford it, right?" Izaya went back to typing figuring that Shinra would eventually get bored and leave, he had no interest in talking about the subject anymore.

"I mean I could but recently I've been thinking-"

"Well that's scary."

"I've been thinking that, seeing since I've been in love with her for so long, I should try to get her to come to Ikebukuro with me this time."

"Your thoughts really are scary." Izaya said taking a break from his computer to face Shinra. "What exactly does this have to do with me anyways? Do you want me to find someone for you who will help you illegally transport an Irish fairy and her horse across the globe? If that's why you're here I'll do it but it'll cost." Izaya was beginning to get rather agitated, he was trying his best to control it but Shinra had the ability to read him like no one else.

"No, that's not exactly what I want…" Shinra took a pause to take a sip of his coffee "Wow this is really good! What coffee do you buy? I usually buy the off-brand kind since it's cheaper but recently I've been getting-"

"Out with it Shinra, what exactly do you want then?"

"Do you remember what I told you after I gave you the picture?"

"What picture?"

"Well I guess it was more like half a picture since I-"

"No, I don't remember." it was a lie, of course he remembered, those words still haunted him. _No problem, I only need the body anyway_. The words rang in his head like a siren trying to warn him of the dangers that lied ahead.

"Oh, come on, you must remember. You wouldn't be making such a sour face if you didn't." Izaya shot him a glare hoping it would shut him up to no avail. "You know you changed a lot after that day, you might not want to admit it but you did. You talked less about 'humanity' after that, I mean not enough for most people to notice but since I'm your friend I noticed pretty early on if I remember correctly."

"Nope don't remember, if you're not going to tell me what you want you can just show yourself out." Izaya went back to typing on his computer, hoping Shinra would take the hint and leave.

"Fine I'll go, just tell me one thing first." Izaya stopped working once again to face Shinra, showing how he had his full attention.

"What?" Izaya asked with a glare.

"Do you still have the picture?"

Izaya didn't say anything, he didn't need to, his silence was the only answer Shinra needed. The fact that he didn't immediately say no and hadn't kicked the doctor out could only mean one thing. He did.

"I knew it!" Shinra exclaimed, almost jumping as he spoke "You know I still have mine too! I framed it too, it was a bit of an awkward fit though but I don't care. I bet you still stare at it too like you did in middle school, we really are so much more alike than we'd like to admit!"

"Alike? What are you talking about I'm nothing like you, I just think she's-"

"You love her too, don't you?" Shinra said with a smile, an unusual reaction for someone who just found out one of his friends loved the same woman as he did.

"Love? Please don't make me laugh Shinra, she's an actual monster, besides I love-"

"Yeah, you love humans, I know! You're so full of it you know." Shinra took another sip of his coffee "This is good."

"The coffee?"

"No, the situation, it's good that you love her too. You actually thought I wouldn't notice? As your only friend I'm a bit insulted but yeah I noticed. I noticed how you often went to the library to take out books on Irish mythology, I noticed the first time you called her a Valkyrie, I noticed how bored you got when you hung out with other people. I even noticed how you carried the picture with you throughout high school and how you would stare at it when you thought no one was watching. And you had the audacity to call me the creep." Shinra laughed and took sips of his coffee as if this was nothing more than a game to him, as if Izaya wasn't sitting in front of him completely mortified by what he had just said.

Izaya was completely speechless, he couldn't deny Shinra's words because it was true, it was all true. After that day, his minor interest in the occult turned into an interest in the Celtic, he tried playing it off as just his bizarre obsession of the week but it wasn't true. He had carried the picture with him all throughout high school and would often steal glances at it while he was in class. Whatever free time he had he spent on trying to find out more about her, however unlike a certain doctor he wasn't a fan of his obsessions being known so he tried his best to act as though the trip to Ireland hadn't affected him. He didn't appreciate being called out like this, especially by Shinra.

"I mean what I told you back then is still true after all so it all works out right? The way I see it, it's the only way for both of us to be happy so if we do this it's more like a mission of love if anything." Shinra was about to take another sip of his coffee before stopping dead in his tracks "Unless…unless you've fallen for her body too! Izaya I might be your friend but I can't let you have-!"

"You said you only needed the body, right?" Izaya looked down at he spoke not wanting to look Shinra in the eye.

"Oh good you're talking again, you know I was getting tired of carrying the conversation by myself-"

"You only need the body, right?" His sounded serious and, this time, he was actually looking at Shinra.

"Yeah that's right, you really should interrupt your friends when they're talking you know. It's very-"

"I'll see what I can do."

The next day he organized a meeting with Seitarou Yagiri to find out about the man's interest with the Irish fairy and its connection to a certain sword. The day after that he hired Namie Yagiri who, over the course of the next two weeks, also gave him some information on the matter and who helped piece together that Seitarou was the one who sent Shingen to Ireland in the first place. The following week he dedicated to Kasane Kujiragi, both in contacting her and trying to convince her to sell him one of her swords. Which lead him to present day, almost a full month after the initial conversation that started this whole plan, where Shinra got the sword after Kasane confessed her new-found love for him.

* * *

"What do you plan on doing with it if this doesn't work?"

"I was thinking about handing it back to , it's not like I have any use for it."

"What happened to calling her by her first name?" Izaya said with a small laugh "You could just sell it, since you practically got it for free I'm sure you'll make quite the profit. I'm sure there's some antiques dealer who'd kill to have it."

"I don't think so, I really don't want it falling into the wrong hands."

"Well aren't you the saint."

Another two weeks had passed since Shinra had obtained Saika, that's how long it had taken to organize their flights to Ireland and the boat trip back. There was no way they could get a headless woman and horse on a plane so their best bet was to smuggle them into the back of a boat. Their current theory was that she would pass out after being decapitated, during this time they could smuggle her into their room on the boat and hide the horse in bilge. Namie had sold Izaya an incubator her own uncle had designed for the head, she claimed it didn't work but he still saw it as money well spent. Shinra claimed that throughout the weeks the sword had talked to him on more than one occasion, commanding him to grasp hold of it but he never listened. The most Shinra could do was look at the blade, he hadn't even taken it out of the briefcase yet.

During the two weeks Izaya researched the small village that surrounded the hotel they were staying at. Apparently, the village was known for having many supposed dullahan sightings but they were mostly considered to be legends due to the fact that the village was mostly made up of the elderly. One man even claimed to have been doused in blood after he saw her riding past his home in a dark chariot. Izaya knew from his own studies that dullahans mostly stayed in their respected areas bringing death to those that lived in their territory, so the chances of their being more than one dullahan in the village were slim to none.

They arrived on schedule and managed to get a cab to the apartments they were staying at, they reserved it for a week but they doubted they would be staying that long, they wanted to get this done as quickly as possible. That night was the first time Shinra held the blade in his hands as they went out in search of the Irish fairy. They asked the locals if there had been any recent sightings of her but none of them were much help saying that things had been quiet for the last ten years or so.

The first night had been a failure but it was expected, who could possibly get lucky three times in a row when searching for something? The second night had also been a failure, they wondered back to their apartment around five in the morning as the sun came up. The third day though, that's when they got really lucky.

She had already been laying by the tree petting her steed by the time they arrived, had they been louder she most likely would have run off. They only had one chance, the smallest mistake could easily get them killed. Shinra was unsure of where to aim or if it even mattered, prior to this Shinra said he was most likely going to aim for the space above her neck since it would be easier than going for the base of the head. There was also the question of where the consciousness would go after everything was done. They had talked about it briefly and had come to the same conclusion, they honestly didn't care one way or another.

It had all happened so fast, before Izaya could process it Shinra had jumped and taken one big swing striking above her neck which erupted with black smoke on impact. He wasn't sure but Izaya could have sworn he heard a small cry before the blow. The sword had gotten stuck on the tree she had been reclining on, Shinra struggled to get it out as the black smoke began to spread across his body. The smoke twisted and moved frantically while the fairies body lay limp against the tree. The horse also began to shake frantically before crashing against the ground, a strange feeling shot through Shinra's entire body causing him to let go of the blade.

Just as quickly as it started it ended, the black smoke soon settled and retreated to the neck of the headless woman becoming part of her once more. Izaya emerged with the container in his hands and crouched next to the paralyzed fairy. The head was placed comfortably on her lap, her eyes were closed and despite the attack her face seemed peaceful even dream like in a way. He picked her up as gently as he could and began to examine her, she was unharmed minus a few twigs in her hair.

He ran his hand through her hair trying to get the twigs out and found himself staring, she was just as captivating as he remembered. Before he could do anything else he heard Shinra let out a loud annoying cough.

"I'd really hate to interrupt but I kinda need a little help here." Shinra said in between grunts as he used all his strength to try to pry the sword out of the tree. Izaya quickly placed the head into the container and sealed it shut before going to help his friend.

* * *

Even now, as he ran his finger through her hair, the whole situations seemed more like a dream than anything else. He sat in his chair facing the view of the sunset as head resting gently on his lap, never had the skies of Ikebukuro seemed so comforting and beautiful than in that moment. The suns fading glow gave the wisps of clouds that cluttered the sky a light auburn color reminiscent of the severed head's own hair. Izaya smiled to himself as he pondered whether it would be better to cut it short or to let it grow out, what a strange image that would make a severed head with flowing locks of hair.

Izaya recalled the events that transpired after the attack, Izaya had returned to help Shinra deal with the body and horse after taking the head and the sword back to the hotel room. He had also contacted a man who could get them on a boat back to Japan to tell to arrange a meeting time and discuss payment. When he had gotten there he saw that not only was the headless woman awake but Shinra was actually talking to her and trying to get friendly with her. He claimed he wasn't here to hurt her and even offered her his phone to help her communicate with him. Izaya had watched the entire display rather disgusted with the whole act, moments before Shinra had attached her with a sword and now he was acting as if he didn't know where her head was at all.

She had agreed to get on the ship with them, Shinra had somehow convinced her he could help her find her head, and even changed the form of her steed to make it easier for them to smuggle it into the back. She had picked a motorcycle but Izaya honestly thought it would have been funnier if it had been a tricycle. Not only was she able to change the form her steed took but she could also make minor altercation to her own appearance in the form of clothes. It appeared that the cloak and dress she wore was nothing more than an extension of her shadow. Shinra guided her on what she should wear to arouse less suspicion as they boarded the boat.

Shinra stayed right by her side throughout the entire trip, swearing on his life that he would help her find her head while helping her communicate. Little did she know her precious head was only feet away from her in the same room, hidden in not so plain sight under Izaya's bed. At one point during the trip Shinra asked her what she remembered and she wrote down three things: Celty, head, familiar.

Shinra and Izaya went their separate ways when the made it back to Ikebukuro, Shinra headed towards his apartment followed by Celty and her motorcycle while Izaya headed back to his office holding two suitcases, one that held Saika and one that held the head. They both took obscure paths away from the bustling city crowds in hopes of not being noticed. What kind of city would Ikebukuro become now that it was the home of a headless woman? A headless woman that would no doubt roam the city on the back of her headless steed turned motorcycle while searching for her head.

The smile Izaya didn't know he was making faded away as a thought overcame him, despite having known Shinra for years he still considered the doctor to be one of the few people he could never fully understand. Shinra wasn't completely unpredictable but he was interesting to say the least, both for his love of a headless woman and the peculiar way he went around it. If the entire ordeal was any indication, Izaya knew Shinra was obsessive but he was also extremely devoted. His devotion extended so far that he even while on a date with the sub-human Kasane Kujiragi his mind overflowed with thoughts of his precious dullahan. No, it was not beauty or power that Shinra was attracted to, if it was than he would have accepted Kasane's confession seeing that she was not only lovely but also a supernatural being much like the dullahan. Shinra was in love with the dullahan but it was a selfish love, a love that would chain the headless woman down rather than liberate her like true love should. This was good, that's what Izaya needed, because if Shinra's love were to ever change, if his love were to become selfless, what would happen then?

Izaya knew that answer to his question but he hated thinking about it, if Shinra truly fell in love with the dullahan named Celty, he would lead her to her head and let her go. Once she was reconnected with her head there would be nothing tying her to this city, even if it was possible for her to love Shinra back Izaya knew she would not stay. The dullahan would be free as a bird once more and would most likely would fly away back to her native Ireland where she would continue to live out her immortal life as she searched for her legendary warrior. Even when he had first read about it, Izaya couldn't help but feel envious of that warrior who she would tenderly escort to heaven. He could lie to himself but Izaya knew deep down he was not her warrior, not even close. All Izaya could do now was enjoy this fleeting moment and hope that his worst nightmare never came into fruition.

"You didn't…you did ugh! Please don't tell me your playing with…that thing." Izaya had been so caught up in his own thoughts he hadn't heard the woman come in, disgust oozing from her voice no doubt the sight of him reminding her of some unsavory aspects of some of her own family members.

"Namie, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He said as he spun around to face her, he quickly took his fingers out of the head's hair to appear less suspicious.

"I'm here to work obviously, if you don't have anything for me to do I'll gladly let myself out so you can finish your…activity." She motioned to the head, her face making her disapproval of the whole situation painfully clear.

"No need Namie, there's plenty around here that needs to be done, so much so that I don't even mind that you came as late as you did." He pointed to a stack of folders that littered the small table in his office "now hurry up and start organizing those files over there"

"Hey, it's not my fault you come back from your little vacation without telling anyone. How was I supposed to know you expected me to be here working if you don't tell me when you've entered the country?" She said making her way over to the couch dreading the work that awaited her "Having to find out from my uncle, of all people." She muttered under her breath as she opened one of the files and began reading through its content.

"I bet he must have been real mad when he found out you sold his little invention."

"As if I care, not like he was ever going to use it anyway." Namie made a face no doubt hating the fact that the head which she had grown to despise was in the same room as her.

Izaya couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the face Seitarou must have made upon realizing that it was none other than he and Shingen's son that managed to capture the elusive dullahan. He wondered who would have told him, did one of his goons see them when they docked? Or had they seen Shinra enter his apartment followed by a figure dressed in all black and assume it was the dullahan? He would have to look into that later.

In all honesty Izaya felt the work he had could have waited until morning but he felt like his secretary needed to be punished for coming over so rudely without invitation. Perhaps she was due for an all-nighter of organizing files and maybe he'd make her re-organize his bookshelf when she was done, he needed to make room for the incubator after all.

"Oh and by the way, it wasn't a vacation, it was for something important." He said as he gently placed the head back into the confides of her container. _No long hair won't work, you won't be able to fit if your hair is too long_. He took the lid and placed it snuggly on top of the container sealing it until he could have another moment alone with her.

He took one last look at her, her turquoise eyes that peeked slightly under long eyelashes, her soft hair which he had been touching moments ago, her smooth pale skin that reminded him of fine porcelain, and that was it, that's all there was to her. She was just a head, but in that moment, she was his.

 _Something important…someone important._

* * *

 _ **not depicted in this fanfic is when izaya braided her hair and made some hotpot for them**_

 ** _i realized anri doesnt have saika in this au_**

 ** _does dullahan hair grow?_**


End file.
